Articulated car



Dec. 22, 1936.

T. H. SCHOEFF ET AL ART ICULA'IED CAR Filed Mar ch 21, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mrm ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 22, 1936 UNI-TED STATES PATENT @FHQE ARTICULATED CAR Theodore H. Schoepf and David M. Ritchie, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to The Cincinnati Traction Building 00., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 21, 1935, Serial No. 12,225

10 Claims. (01. 105-4) Our invention relates to articulated cars. II of the halves l2 and E3 constituting the trun- It is the particular object of the invention to nion sockets. These trunnion sockets are proprovide shock absorbing means between the trunvided with arcuate bottoms I l resting in an arounions on the ends of the articulated cars and the ate depression H5 in the center plate carrier l6.

5 truck and truck bolster supporting the trunnions. The halves of the socket plates are maintained in 5 .Heretofore, in non-articulated cars the shock of their normal adjacent position by the bumper stopping and starting has been absorbed by the springs ll interposed between the socket half and couplers through springs and the like. But with the vertical wall it of the center plate carrier IS. the adoption of the articulated car construction, The vertical wall it! at either end of the center this shock absorbing means was eliminated and plate carrier is joined on its ends with the other 10 all shocks were transmitted directly through corresponding wall of the side walls l9. These the car bodies either directly to the common truck side walls act as guiding walls for the flat side or to the trunnions, center plates, the truck bolfaces 29 of the halves of the socket trunnion. ster and the trucks. Referring to Figure 3, which is a modification It is a further object of this invention to perof Figure 1, the construction isthe same save the 15 mit of relative longitudinal movement of the bottoms of the socket halves are flat, engaging socket plates with respect to the bolster of a truck with the fiat bottom surface of the center plate when the socket plates are carrying articulated Car er t. A plural y o p s ll e d b trunnions, and it is an object to provide means of tween the socket halves and the interior of the restraining this movement at the times when end wall l8 of the center carrier plate. 20 braking of the train takes place. In all views 26a designates the bolster of a It is an object to effect this restraint of the common supporting truck for the respective ends movement of the socket plates in conjunction of the car platforms l and 2. with a magnetic track brake system or with the Figure 4 is a modification showing independent magnetic apparatus used therefor. trunnions. These trunnions are cut away at M 25 Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side to receive a retaining plate 22 held on the end elevation partially in section showing the adjaof a king bolt 23 that is utilized to retain the cent car platforms having depending trunnions trunnions, the bifurcated center plates and the engaging with one another and a bifurcated movcenter plate Carrier 011 the belsterthis D able socket or center plate yieldingly mounted pose the center plate carrier or Socket carrier 30 within a center plate carrier on a bolster which as a Co umn eXtenSiOn 24 though Which t t is diagrammatically shown. 23 is projected and guided.

Figure 2 isa section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1. p to t p h m a f istan e to Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustratthe movement of the halves of the socket plates ing a modification in which the bifurcated center 0 Center plates has been due to t a e y of plate moves on a flat surface of the carrier plate. Sp n s q eh y au ic mechan sm Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 1 except (not shown) may also be employed.

that it shows the employment of separable trun- Referring t Figure 0f the a s, a d t0 nions and a retaining center bolt for retaining the removal of both trunnions at the same time,

40 the trunnions from detachment from their bi- On t o at a time, the following s the furcated socket. procedure: to remove both trunnions at the same Referring to the drawings, l is a car platform time, the nut on the lower end of the king bolt 23 and 2 is an adjacent car platform. 3 designates is removed so that, when he ar are rai ed by the overlapping platform of a communicating ifting j ks, the tr nion m v pw ly an vestibule. The car platforms are provided with out of the socket plates, taking the bolt with 45 integral, downwardly extending trunnions 4 and them. When one trunnion, say trunnion 4, is to 5 having engaging arcuate faces 5 and i that are be removed, should there be occasion to do so, adapted to rock upon one another when the bodies which is not likely, the brakes are applied on the assume different horizontal planes with respect ar 2 as number in Figure nd h mot v to one another or swing laterally with respect or other propelling apparatus is caused o p 50 to one another. The point of contact 8 between sli t y 0n 3. s Wi ve t t u nio 4 the abutting trunnions shifts according to the against its socket p ate and Ve t e ter Suffirocking movement of the car platforms. The rear ciently to di e e t from the retaining plate surfaces of the trunnions are semi-circular as at This movement temporarily compresses the p 9 and I0. They conform to the interior surfaces springs ll. Car 3 is then jacked up and the trunnion 4 is thereby lifted out of the socket plate. These are shop operations, and take place when the train undergoes repairs.

Referring to the particular object of this invention referred to in the opening of this specification, and further amplifying that object and the results that flow therefrom, we now describe one of the principal functional results flowing from the shock absorbing means between the trunnions on the one part and the sockets, in which the trunnions are mounted, on the other part. The independent longitudinal movability of one socket and one trunnion, with respect to the other socket and its trunnion, and the longitudinal movability of the socket plates with respect to the socket plate carrier, result in overcoming of the inertia of one car at a time by the locomotive or other train motive power. Suppose that the righthand car, as viewed in Figure l, is drawn forward by the motive power. Such forward movement is permitted by the trunnion and socket plate of that car compressing the spring I7 and taking up the slack that normally exists between such socket plate and trunnion and the forward portion of the center plate 16, I8.

When the cars move far enough to take up this slack, then further forward movement will begin to move the second car to the left, as seen in Figure 1. The forward start and movement of the second car results from the truck and center plate having compressed the rear spring II, which in turn transmits this pull to the lefthand socket plate and trunnion, and thence to the second car. However, this movement of the second car does not begin until the slack between its trunnion and socket plate on the one part and the center plate I6 on the other part is taken up. Thus, the motor will first start the front or forward car and move it until its slack is taken up, when the slack between the center plate IS on the one part and the socket plate and trunnion of the second car on the other part will also be taken up. Then, the second car itself will move forward.

These operations are repeated by each of the succeeding articulations at the succeeding adjacent ends of each two cars. This results in the second car, by its forward movement, likewise taking up the two slacks as did the forward movement of the first car take up the two slacks. This goes on through the train, with the ultimate result that a motor or locomotive need only be powerful enough to move one car at a time to overcome its inertia and put that car in motion, and then separately start each succeeding car.

It will be understood that we desire to comprehend within our invention such modifications as may be clearly embraced within the claims and scope of our invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a railway car articulation, adjacent car platforms having trunnions associated therewith, said trunnions being adapted for engagement with one another and for relative vertical and lateral movement, longitudinally movable sockets for said trunnions, means for yieldingly resisting movement of said sockets, and means for guiding said sockets for longitudinal movement.

2. In a railway car articulation, adjacent car platforms having trunnions, said trunnions being adapted to engage one another and to have lateral and vertical relative movement, longitudinally movable sockets for said trunnions, means for yieldingly resisting movement of said sockets, means for guiding said sockets for longitudinal movement, and means for retaining said trunnions in said sockets.

3. In combination in an articulation, car platforms having trunnions with arcuate engaging faces adapted to permit vertical and horizontal movement of the car platforms, semi-circular receiving sockets for said trunnions adapted to permit of said respective platform movements, a socket plate carrier, and yielding means between said sockets and said carrier for resisting the independent longitudinal movement cf the trunnions and sockets, the trunnions and sockets having longitudinal movements.

4. In combination in an articulation, car platforms having trunnions with arcuate engaging faces adapted to permit vertical and horizontal movement of the car platforms, semi-circular receiving sockets for said trunnions adapted to permit of said respective platform movements, a socket plate carrier, yielding means between said sockets and said carrier for resisting the independent longitudinal movement of the trunnions and sockets, the trunnions and. sockets having longitudinal movements, and means on the carrier for guiding the movement of the sockets.

5. In combination, in an articulation, car platforms having trunnions with engaging surfaces adapted to permit relative vertical and horizontal '7. In combination, in an articulation, a truck bolster, a socket plate carrier mounted on said truck bolster, socket plates yieldingly mounted in said socket plate carrier, and trunnions on adjacent car platforms adapted to be supported in the respective socket plates to bear against one another.

8. In a railway train, a truck common to adjacent end platforms of two cars, said platforms having trunnions adapted for engagement and relative vertical and lateral movement, and articulated couplings between said truck and said trunnions including resilient means adapted to take up slack between said trunnions, whereby, when the inertia of the foremost of said cars is overcome, forward movement thereof immediately takes place, followed thereafter by a forward movement of said other car, after the first-named car has acquired momentum.

9. In a railway train, a truck common to the adjacent ends of two cars, a center plate mounted on the truck, socket plates mounted on the center plate, and movable thereon, a trunnion carried by one car and adapted to operate in one socket plate, a trunnion carried by the other car adapted to operate in the other socket plate, and yielding means comprising springs between the socket plates and the center plate, whereby the inertia may be overcome and the forward movement of one car may take place first, and whereby the inertia of the other car may be overcome and its forward movement may take place thereafter.

10. In a railway train, a truck common to the adjacent ends of two cars, a center plate mounted on the truck, socket plates mounted on the center plate, and movable thereon, and a trunnion carried by each car and. adapted to operate in one of the socket plates and yielding means between each socket plate and the center plate, whereby l0 the inertia of the forward of the two cars is overcome and. a forward movement of said forward car first takes place through the action of said yielding means, and whereby the inertia of the second car is thereafter overcome and its forward movement commences to take place through the action of its yielding means, after the first car has acquired momentum. 

